Method of making a package

ABSTRACT

A method of making individual serving packages in which a sheet is sealed around the rims of a plurality of cups formed in a single sheet. After sealing, the cups are cut away from the sheet with the cover sheet sealed to them. The initial sheet containing the cups has a slit which causes a tab to be formed when the completed packages are severed from the sheet.

United States Patent is] 3,660,960 Inman 1 May 9, 1972 [54] METHOD OFMAKING A PACKAGE 3,242,636 3/1966 Evanson et al.... ..53/282 x 2,887,2445/1959 Betner t ..l50/.5 X [72] Inventor. Richard B. Inman, Dunwoody,Ga. 30338 3,101,870 8/1963 Bemer I t I I ISO/.5 X [22] Filed: Apr. 24,1970 3,483,964 12/1969 Muehling ..206/46 F [211 App! SL725 PrimaryExaminer-Robert L. Spruill Attorney-Cushman, Darby & Cushman [52] [1.5.CI. ..53/l4,53/37, ISO/0.5,

206/46 F, 206/65 .R [57] ABSTRACT {2 23355; "5373 g flg gfg A method ofmaking individual serving packages in which a 6 A A 150/O sheet issealed around the rims of a plurality of cups formed in a single sheet.After sealing, the cups are cut away from the sheet with the cover sheetsealed to them. The initial sheet [56] References cued containing thecups has a slit which causes a tab to be formed UNITED STATES PATENTSwhen the completed packages are severed from the sheet.

3,054,679 9/1962 Bradford ..206/56 A X 2 Claims, 4 Drawing FiguresPATEMTEDMM 9 I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 ATTORNEYE' The present invention relatesto a method of making a package and a sheet containing a plurality ofreceptacles for use in practicing the said method. The package producedby the method consists of one of the receptacles and a sheet materialcovering it, the invention providing a reinforcing tab attached to onecorner of the sheet material, to be grasped by the consumer in pullingoff the sheet material. The package is particularly useful forindividual servings of food products such as cream for cofiee andjellies.

The receptacle is of the type having a bottom, one or more side membersextending upwardly from the bottom and a flange extending laterallyoutwardly from the tops of the side members and continuously around therim of the receptacle. The sheet member is sealed to the top of theflange and is trimmed to have the same size and shape as the top of thereceptacle, as defined by the perimeter of the flange.

In opening a package of this type, it is necessary to pry the sheetmaterial from the flange, normally at one corner, to be able to grip thesheet material and to then pull the sheet material away from the flange.However, it is difficult sometimes to pry the sheet material away fromthe flange, and, if the consumer is not careful, the sheet material willtear leaving fragments of it sealed to portions of the flange.

The present invention provides an improvement in this type of package bymeans of a reinforcing tab, composed of the same material as the flange,attached to the foil at one comer of the flange but not attached to theflange. The consumer can grip the tab and pull the sheet material fromthe flange.

The invention can be better understood by referring to the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment, reference being made to thedrawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sheet of receptacles used in makingthe package of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section showing the application of a sheet materialclosure to the sheet of receptacles;

FIG. 3 is a cross section showing the step of severing packages from thesheet of receptacles; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view partly broken away, of the finishedpackage.

. Referring to FIG. I, there is shown a sheet 1 of receptacle 2 whichpreferably is composed of an opaque or transparent thermoplasticmaterial such as polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride or saran. Paper andaluminum foil may also be used, as well as various laminates. This sheetmay be produced by a vacuum or pressure forming the plastic into a diefrom a flat sheet of such plastic about 5 to mils thick, after heatingthe plastic to a suitable temperature. The sheet should be thick enoughto be semirigid or rigid. The sheet may contain 40, more or less,receptacles, e.g., in five rows of eight receptacles side-by-side,depending on their sizes and the size of the sheet.

Each receptacle consists of a bottom 3, a round sidewall 4, extendingupwardly from the bottom, and a flange 5 extending laterally outwardlyfrom the top of the sidewall. The flanges are integral with the sheet 1,but they are severed from it in the process of producing a package.

Adjacent each receptacle there is a slit 6 through the plastic. In theembodiment shown, the slit is perpendicular to a line from the center ofthe receptacle, and, since this embodiment of the receptacle iscircular, the slit is tangential. The slit is spaced outwardly from thetop 7 of the sidewall 4 to provide an area in between for sealing thepackage. The slit is completely through the sheet 1, although in lesspreferred embodiments it may be part of the way through from one or bothsurfaces to provide a line of weakness. In any event, the plastic mustbe cut at least part of the way through along the slit so that it iseasy to sever manually the tab 8 from the flange 5.

In-manufacturing packages, a commodity is placed in each receptacle andthen a sheet material 9 is sealed to the top of the sheet 1 ofreceptacles. Preferably, all of the area of the sheet 1 is sealed to thesheet material 9, but it is at least essential to seal those portions ofthe sheet 1 which subsequently become the tab 8 and the flange 5. Thesealin ma be achieved by any means, depending on the composi on o thesheet 1 and the sheet material 9. If both are heat-scalablethermoplastic, they are pressed together while heated. If they are not,one or both may be coated with a heat activatable adhesive, and they arepressed together while the adhesive is hot. The sheet material 9 may beof any suitable material such as those mentioned in connection withsheet I, except that a thinner stock is preferred so that sheet material9 will be flexible. For example, it may be polyethylene film about 2mils thick. 1

After the sheet material 9 is sealed to sheet 1, the packages areseparated by cutting through both of them, leaving the waste stock ofboth. The cut is made along the perimeter of flange 5, across the slit 6and around the edge of tab 8. It will be noted that the line along whichthe cut is made crosses the slit in two places, preferably at both ofits ends, so that the tab is completely severed from the flange S, or,if the slit is not all of the way through the sheet 1, so that the onlyconnection between the tab and the flange is along a line of weakness.

The resulting packages are of the teardrop shape, having a single comerwith the tab at thatcomer. It will be appreciated that the'packages mayalso be square or triangular, having four or three corners respectively,and tabs may be formed at one or more of those comers. If a liquid is tobe stored in the package, a spout may be formed at the comer where theflange and sidewall meet, adjacent a comer of the package where a tabalso is formed. Other changes may be made in details of construction andmode of operation, without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. A method of making a plurality of easily opened packages comprisingplacing a commodity in each of a plurality of receptacles in a sheet,

each receptacle comprising a bottom and at least one sidewall extendingupwardly from the bottom, the upper end of said sidewall being integralwith said sheet and the sheet occupying all of the area between andaround the several receptacles,

said sheet being cut at least part of the way through its thicknessalong a plurality of score lines each of which score lines is adjacentto one of said receptacles and transverse to a line through the centerof the receptacle to which'it is adjacent, said score lines being spacedoutwardly from the upper ends of the sidewalls of the receptacles towhich they are, respectively, adjacent,

sealing a sheet material to said sheet in at least a continuous ringaround the mouth of each receptacle, said ring including areas of saidsheet on both sides of the receptacle around which the ring extends,

and severing said sheet and sheet material along a plurality ofperimeter lines, each perimeter line extending completely around one ofthe receptacles and being spaced outwardly from the mouth of thereceptacle around which it extends to form from said sheet, between thetop of the sidewall of that receptacle and the perimeter line, a flangeextending outwardly from the mouth of the receptacle to the perimeterline and the score line, at least a portion of the continuous sealedring around each receptacle being between the mouth of that receptacleand the perimeter line around it, so that each said flange is sealed tosaid sheet material,

each of said perimeter lines crossing the score line adjacent thereceptacle around which it extends in two places spaced along, thatscore line to form a tab between the perimeter line and the score line,from a portion of said sheet adjacent the flange said continuous ringincluding at least a portion of the area of said sheet which forms saidtab so that the tab is sealed to the sheet material.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 in which said sheet is cut throughalong said score lines to form a slit, so that said tabs are attached tosaid flanges only by said sheet material.

t i U i

1. A method of making a plurality of easily opened packages comprisingplacing a commodity in each of a plurality of receptacles in a sheet,each receptacle comprising a bottom and at least one sidewall extendingupwardly from the bottom, the upper end of said sidewall being integralwith said sheet and the sheet occupying all of the area between andaround the several receptacles, said sheet being cut at least part ofthe way through its thickness along a plurality of score lines each ofwhich score lines is adjacent to one of said receptacles and transverseto a line through the center of the receptacle to which it is adjacent,said score lines being spaced outwardly from the upper ends of thesidewalls of the receptacles to which they are, respectively, adjacent,sealing a sheet material to said sheet in at least a continuous ringaround the mouth of each receptacle, said ring including areas of saidsheet on both sides of the receptacle around which the ring extends, andsevering said sheet and sheet material along a pluraLity of perimeterlines, each perimeter line extending completely around one of thereceptacles and being spaced outwardly from the mouth of the receptaclearound which it extends to form from said sheet, between the top of thesidewall of that receptacle and the perimeter line, a flange extendingoutwardly from the mouth of the receptacle to the perimeter line and thescore line, at least a portion of the continuous sealed ring around eachreceptacle being between the mouth of that receptacle and the perimeterline around it, so that each said flange is sealed to said sheetmaterial, each of said perimeter lines crossing the score line adjacentthe receptacle around which it extends in two places spaced along, thatscore line to form a tab between the perimeter line and the score line,from a portion of said sheet adjacent the flange said continuous ringincluding at least a portion of the area of said sheet which forms saidtab so that the tab is sealed to the sheet material.
 2. A method as setforth in claim 1 in which said sheet is cut through along said scorelines to form a slit, so that said tabs are attached to said flangesonly by said sheet material.